Beverage container lid

ABSTRACT

A lid for sealing a tumbler or other type of beverage container. The lid features a cover and a sidewall, as well as a resilient drink opening plug that is removably tethered to the cover. The cord that tethers the plug is flexible, but is pre-formed into a pair of parabolic arcs that help prevent the cord from wildly dangling or flopping into a user&#39;s face while drinking.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to beverage container lids, andit is specifically directed to such a lid that has a removably tetheredplug for closing its drink opening.

With the rise in popularity of thermally insulated, non-disposable drinktumblers has been a proliferation in the designs and structuralconfigurations of lids to cover them. Nevertheless, for simplicity ofdiscussion, those lids can be categorized relative to the types ofclosures they employ for their drink openings: (1) no closure (i.e., nodrink opening); (2) pivoting lever closure; (3) sliding lever closure;and (4) spring-loaded closure.

Tumbler lids that have no drink opening whatsoever can certainly beeffective in preventing unwanted heat transfer between the inside of acontainer and the environment, but that is true only when the lid isattached to the beverage container—in essence, when no liquid contentsof the container are intended to be removed, like during actualdrinking. In fact, since that type of lid must be entirely displacedfrom the container to retrieve liquid, an inordinate amount of heattransfer occurs when one removes the lid to drink from its container.Furthermore, relative to the aforementioned other types of lids, thislid type greater exposes the container liquid to dust, insects and otherimpurities when it is time for a user to drink. Consequently, mostmanufacturers of high-performance tumblers designed for outdoor use havediscontinued producing this type of lid and have opted for one of theother three.

Pivoting lever closure type lids feature lever and fulcrum mechanismsthat are movable between positions in which the drink hole is opened orsealed closed by pressing and/or pulling force being applied. Slidinglever closure type lids feature mechanisms that are radially orcircumferentially slidable between those open and closed positions. Andspring-loaded closure type lids can have a wide variety ofconfigurations and closing mechanisms in which spring bias urges a drinkhole covering toward an open and/or toward a closed position.Nevertheless, despite the mechanical differences between them all, thepresent inventor has recognized a couple of drawbacks which seem to becommon to all of them.

The first such drawback pertains to their cleanability. Morespecifically, the configurations of their respective drink hole coveringmechanisms tend to render small surface areas that cannot be directlysprayed with stream of cleaning water. Therefore, it may be difficult totruly sanitize them in a dishwasher, and that may be accomplishable onlyby a manual cleaning in which every crevice of the lid can be,essentially, submerged in water or other cleaning solution.Incidentally, spout and nozzle type drink openings commonly found onsport bottle lids present a similar problem.

The other drawback relates to mechanical wear. With continuous use, eachof these closure mechanisms is subject to sustaining enough mechanicalwear that they begin failing to stay firmly in their respective open andclosed positions. They may become “trick” closures.

Consequently, the present inventor appreciates a need for a lid thatseals closed a tumbler and features a mechanism, for opening a closingthe drinking aperture formed within it, that is less subject to failuredue to mechanical wear and renders the lid completely cleanable bydirect water spray (i.e., dishwasher cleaning). The present inventionfor a beverage container lid substantially fulfills these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a beverage containerlid apparatus having a drink opening closure mechanism that is sostructurally simple as to not be subject to mechanical wear of a naturethat may diminish its effectiveness in sealing closed the drink openingformed in the lid. In one aspect of the invention, the apparatusfeatures a resilient plug that can be simply press-fitted into the drinkopening. In another aspect of the invention, the plug is at the end of acord which is tetheredly attached to the lid.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a plug tethercord that flexible enough to allow the plug to be freely moved into andout of the position of closing the drink opening, but that is rigidenough and is both itself configured and tethered to the lid in suchways that it does not completely freely rotate, flop or rotate in waysthat the user does not desire. In one aspect of the invention,rotational friction is experienced, by the tether cord, at a hole wherethe cord protrudes and is anchored to the lid. In another aspect, thedouble arced pre-form of the cord tends to cause it to slump over thesidewall of the lid (with the plug hanging outside the periphery of thelid)—rendering a point of contact, between the cord and the lidsidewall, that further inhibits any unwanted movement of the plug or itstether when the container is being drank from.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a beverage container lid inaccordance with the present invention, the plug shown lodged in thedrink opening;

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the same;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the same;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the same;

FIG. 5 is a left side elevational view of the same;

FIG. 6 is a right side elevational view of the same;

FIG. 7 is a front side devotional view of the same;

FIG. 8 is a rear side elevational view of the lid, plug and plug tethercord shown completely detached from the lid cover; and

FIG. 9 is a top perspective view of the same.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

This disclosure, as defined by the claims that follow, relates to a lid1 for placing atop and sealing liquid within a beverage container, suchas a tumbler. As will be discussed, it is anticipated that the presentlid 1 may be of a type that either press-fits into (or over) the upperportion of a beverage container or that screws into it. Nevertheless,the primary components of the present invention for a beverage containerlid apparatus 1, which can be fully appreciated by viewing FIGS. 1 & 9,are: a rigid cover 10, a rigid sidewall 30, a drink opening 12 (formedwithin the cover 10), a resilient plug 40 and a flexible plug tethercord 50 that is pre-formed into two (or more) parabolic arcs. The lidapparatus 1 is, typically, to be constructed partly of plastic (e.g.,the cover and sidewall) and partly of rubber (e.g., the plug and tethercord), but any materials that are suitably rigid, resilient or flexiblecan be employed.

In a preferred embodiment, the lid cover 10 is a planar, circular andhorizontal piece of translucent plastic. At its periphery is a generallyvertical sidewall 30 encircling it. The relative vertical positioning ofthe cover 10 and sidewall 30 can vary, but in embodiments of the lid 1that press-fit into the cylindrical top portion of the inner wall of adrink container (not shown), the cover 10 is at least somewhat recessedbelow the upper rim of the sidewall 30 (i.e., the sidewall 30 extendsabove, if not also below, the cover 10). In other embodiments of theapparatus 1 of this invention, particular those in which the lid is tobe screwed onto a container, the cover 10 may be positioned at the verytop of the sidewall 30.

Formed in the cover 10 is a drink opening 12 through which liquid storedin a beverage container is to flow. The drink opening 12 can have a widerange of shapes, but it should be positioned at a point closely adjacentthe sidewall 30. Also formed in the cover 10 is a hole 14 through whichplug tether cord 50 protrudes and within which the cord 50 canrotate—not freely, but with enough frictional resistance that it canrotate, essentially, only by a user applying torque with his fingers (orby some other external influence beyond mere gravitational influence).The plug tether cord 50 remains perpetually mounted to the cover 10,even when the plug 40 is not lodged in the drink hole 12, due to the endof tether cord, opposite its plug end, not being able to freely passthrough this mounting hole 14, as will be explained in more detail. Thismounting hole 14 should be along the same radial axis as the center ofthe drink opening 12.

In the preferred embodiment of the present lid 1 that is depicted in theaccompanying drawings, the lid 1 attaches to a beverage container (notshown), such as a tumbler, by press-fit (frictional) engagement of thelid sidewall 30 and the container sidewall. More specifically, the lidsidewall's outer surface 34 has a groove (not shown) formed within itthat a rubber sealing band 60 is seated within. This cylindrical band 60can be of different cross-sectional profiles that each have thecharacteristic of the band's outer surface extending slightly radiallybeyond the portion of the sidewall outer surface 34 that directly facesthe inner surface of a beverage container. This creates a seal, betweenthe lid 1 and the beverage container, that liquid will not seep throughwhen the liquid-filled container is in a non-upright position.

Preferably, the sealing band 60 has a downwardly tapered profile,meaning that while its inner diameter may be constant along itsthickness, its outer diameter narrows downward. In fact, in thepreferred embodiment that is best viewed in FIGS. 7 & 8, the sealingband 60 features a perfectly cylindrical main body that avertically-spaced pair of and outwardly extending, downwardly taperedflanges are formed along that body. This configuration causes the lid 1to experience greater friction with a container wall when being urgedupward than it does when being urged. Thus, the lid 1 is easier toattach than it is to remove from the container. Nevertheless, the band60 could conceivably have a circular, half-circular, rectangular orother cross-sectional profile so long as it functions as an effectiveseal when attached to a container.

It should be noted that, in one alternative embodiment, the lid 1 can beconfigured to press-fit over the top of a beverage container such thatthe inner surface 32 of the lid sidewall 30 engages the outer surface ofthe container. Still alternatively, the lid 1 (and a cooperatingbeverage container) can be configured such that screw threads, alongeither the sidewall's inner surface 32 or its outer surface 34, engagecorresponding threads formed along the container's outer or innersurface to couple them in that manner.

Formed along the top of the sidewall 30 is a horizontal flange 20 thatcovers the top rim of a beverage container when the lid 1 is attached toit. In a preferred embodiment, a small peripheral portion of the flange20 that is radially opposite the drink opening 12, juts further out toform a lift tab 22 that a user can grip and pull up on to remove thepress-fit type lid 1 from the container.

In a preferred embodiment, the cover features a third, smaller (than thedrink opening 12 or the mounting hole 14) hole 16 that is to remainunobstructed so that pressure within the drink container staysequivalent to ambient pressure and, thereby, allows liquid to freelyflow through the drink opening 12 and out of the container when thecontainer is merely tilted out of its upright position. Of course, sothe liquid does not also flow through this pressure equalization hole16, the hole 16 should be positioned at a point along the surface areaof cover 10 that is radially [nearly] furthest from the drink opening12.

Finally, in a preferred embodiment and as is viewable in FIGS. 1 & 9, tohelp channel the flow of liquid expelled through the drink opening 12precisely into a drinker's mouth, a recess 36 is formed within aperipheral segment of the sidewall's inner surface 32 that is adjacentthe drink opening 12 in the cover 10.

The plug 40 can have an infinite number of different shapes, but it isconfigured to firmly lodge within the drink opening 12 with enoughsealing force to prevent it from being dislodged or otherwise permitliquid permeation at the opening 12 even when the liquid-filledcontainer is turned upside down. Attached to the plug 40 is a cord 50that allows the plug to remain always tethered to the lid cover 10. Morespecifically, at or near the end of the tether cord 50 that is oppositeits plug end, the cord 50 features an anchoring element 42 which cannotpass through the cover's mounting hole 14 without significant pullingforce being applied to the cord 50.

Ideally, this cord anchor 42 is simply a diametrically larger (than thecord) mass of tether cord material. Whether cylindrical, bulbous orotherwise in cross-section, the anchor 42 should be, on one hand, ofsufficiently greater diameter than the mounting hole 14 that it preventsthe tether cord from completely detaching from the cover 10 duringnormal lid use and, on the other hand, radially compressible enough thata user may intentionally pull it through that hole 14 without risk ofsnapping or elastically deforming the tether cord 50 while attempting todo so.

Finally, the tether cord 50 of the present invention is a fabricated offlexible material (typically, a rubber). And in a preferred embodiment,it is pre-formed such that it is neither linear nor simply arcuate whenin its free state (although, it may be linear in an alternativeembodiment). Rather, it is pre-formed to be doubly arcuate along itslength. To wit, its length is formed by a series of two parabolic arcs.Preferably, and as depicted in FIGS. 1, 3, 7, 8 & 9, those arcs of twodifferent sizes—a large arc 52 having the plug 40 at its outer end and asmall arc 54 having the cord anchor 42 at its outer end. Positionedbetween the arcs is a “notch” 56 that, in fact, may be crimp orindentation in the cord. Furthermore, the notch 56 may, in fact, be ashort segment of cord that is either linear or is arced in the oppositedirection of the larger arcs 52, 54.

One important characteristic of the configuration of the tether cord 50is that a user can rotate the cord 50 (after removing the plug 40 fromthe drink opening 12) such that the notch 56 rests in the vicinity ofthe sidewall inner surface 32 while the big arc 52 touches and hangsover the top of the sidewall 30. In addition to the rotationalresistance imposed on the cord 50 at the mounting hole 14, thiscord-sidewall contact creates a friction point that inhibits theflexible cord 50 from rotating or otherwise dangling downward and onto auser's face upon the user tilting the beverage container up to drinkfrom it.

Aspects of various embodiments of the present invention that are notrecited above or claimed below may be noted from observing theillustrations included herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A lid for use with a beverage container, the lidcomprising: a cover, wherein the cover has a drink aperture formedtherewithin; a sidewall around the periphery of the cover, wherein thesidewall is configured to sealingly engage a beverage container; aresilient plug configured to lodge into the drink aperture so that fluidis prevented from flowing therethrough; and a flexible tether cord,wherein the tether cord is attached to the plug and is configured tootherwise mount to the cover, and wherein the tether cord has separatelyarcuate segments when it is in a free state.
 2. A lid for use with abeverage container, the lid comprising: a cover, wherein the cover has adrink aperture formed therewithin; a sidewall around the periphery ofthe cover, wherein the sidewall is configured to sealingly engage abeverage container; a resilient plug configured to lodge into the drinkaperture so that fluid is prevented from flowing therethrough; and aflexible tether cord, wherein the tether cord is attached to the plugand is configured to otherwise mount to the cover, and wherein thetether cord has a notch, formed along its length, and has arcuateprofile segments on both sides of the notch when the tether cord is in afree state.
 3. The lid of claim 2, wherein said sidewall is configuredto friction-fit against the inner surface of a beverage container. 4.The lid of claim 2, wherein said sidewall is configured to friction-fitagainst the outer surface of a beverage container.
 5. The lid of claim2, wherein said sidewall is configured to threadingly engage a beveragecontainer.
 6. The lid of claim 2, wherein an anchoring element isdisposed along said tether cord, wherein the anchoring element isconfigured to keep said tether cord mounted to said cover even when saidplug is not lodged within said drink aperture.
 7. The lid of claim 6,further comprising a mounting aperture formed within said cover, whereinsaid tether cord protrudes the mounting aperture, and wherein saidanchoring element is defined by a radially compressible object that,when in a radially uncompressed state, is diametrically larger than themounting aperture.
 8. The lid of claim 6, wherein said tether cord isfrictionally rotatable relative to said cover, but cannot be so rotatedwithout application of torque by an external influence.
 9. The lid ofclaim 2, wherein said sidewall extends upward from said cover.
 10. Thelid of claim 2, wherein said sidewall extends downward from said cover.11. The lid of claim 2, wherein said plug and said tether cord arefabricated of a rubber.
 12. The lid of claim 2, wherein said tether cordis semi-rigid.
 13. The lid of claim 2, wherein a third aperture isformed within said cover, wherein this third aperture is for equalizingpressure within a beverage container with ambient pressure.
 14. The lidof claim 2, further comprising a sealing band, disposed along saidsidewall, that is configured to provide a liquid impermeable sealbetween said lid and a beverage container.
 15. The lid of claim 2,wherein a drink recess is formed within said sidewall radially adjacentsaid drink aperture, the drink recess being configured to channel theflow of liquid out of the drink opening and into a user's mouth.
 16. Thelid of claim 2, wherein said notch is a non-arcuate segment of tethercord.
 17. The lid of claim 2, wherein said notch is a segment of tethercord that is inversely arcuate.
 18. A lid for use with a beveragecontainer, the lid comprising: a cover, wherein the cover has a drinkaperture formed therewithin; a sidewall around the periphery of thecover, wherein the sidewall is configured to sealingly engage a beveragecontainer; a resilient plug configured to lodge into the drink apertureso that fluid is prevented from flowing therethrough; and a flexibletether cord, wherein the tether cord is attached to the plug and isconfigured to otherwise mount to the cover.